“He Was Going to Actually Throw Up in the War Room”: Washington Football Team Coaches Didn’t Want to Draft Dwayne Haskins

After Washington released QB Dwayne Haskins yesterday, an ESPN reporter recalled a unique moment from draft night 2019.

Washington selected Haskins with the 15th pick in the 2019 draft, but his time in the Capital has come to an abrupt end. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Washington coaches never wanted to pick Haskins in the first place.

I will never forget the week leading up the draft in 2019. A member of the Washington coaching staff told me he was going to actually throw up in the war room because ownership wasn’t listening. Coaches didn’t believe Haskins was the right person to be the future of the franchise

— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) December 28, 2020

This isn’t about the coaches being right—because they were wrong themselves plenty— but it always stood out how passionate they were about not wanting to make that selection. It was about the person, not the ability. I’ve covered NFL drafts for years, that was a first.

— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) December 28, 2020

I also believe the football operation leaked to ESPN because they were desperate to persuade Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen to change their minds. Anything to help their own case.

— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) December 28, 2020

Also read: NFL MVP Race: The Case For Aaron Rodgers And Patrick Mahomes

Who Will Replace Dwayne Haskins in Washington?

On Sunday, Haskins was taken out of the game and replaced by Taylor Heinicke in WFT’s loss to the Panthers. It was a game that would have seen them secure their spot in the playoffs with a win.

The next day, the team released Haskins, making him the only first round QB to be released before the end of their second season. Definitely not the type of records he wants to be setting.

“This afternoon I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him,” Head Coach Ron Rivera said. “I told him that I believe it benefits both parties that we go our separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions these last two seasons and wish him well moving forward.”

Washington will play their last regular season game against the Eagles and again, a win will see them through to the playoffs. Their options at QB for the remainder of the season are either Heinicke or Alex Smith, however it remains unclear who will start.

Most likely, though, Washington won’t see either QB as the future of the team. They will probably elect to pick a QB in the upcoming draft but if they don’t feel comfortable with their choices, there are a number of QB’s they can go after.

Some of the obvious options would be Sam Darnold (if the Jets draft a QB), Marcus Mariota, or even Matt Stafford. Of course, if WFT wants a player of Stafford’s calibre, they need to be ready to trade away some significant assets.